Matt Kucik

What’s all the fuss about invasive plants? In a nutshell, invasives are plants from other parts of the world that break out of gardens and spread maniacally through our local ecosystems, threatening native flora and fauna, because the things that keep them in check where they grow naturally don’t exist here. And because of that, invasives out-compete whole communities of native plants, replacing ecosystems that support an abundance of life with communities that support little more than the invaders themselves.

Spring is finally here! Have you been looking out the window and wishing that you were out working in your yard, and being able to smell that nice earthy aroma, and having the warm sun on your shoulders? To get you started, here are a few tips on spring lawn care.

Once upon a time, long long ago, far far away, in an America that was much simpler than today, there lived lawn - lawn of every size and description. These lawns were spread out over the suburban landscape like a diverse living carpet and were tended for their utility and beauty, much like today, but with one big difference.

In an attempt to attain the perfect lawn, Americans are using enormous quantities of water, fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides and fossil fuels to make grass grow more vigorously, then spending time and money on a weekly basis to keep it short.

"Many US cities and some states, even in the Northeast, report that 50% of residential water use goes to lawns and landscapes," says Amy Vickers, author, Handbook of Water Use and Conservation (WaterPlow Press), "Over 75% of the river drainage basins assessed in Massachusetts are classified as 'flow stressed,'

Many so-called “weeds” are beneficial to the lawn ecosystem and weeds are tolerated in an organic lawn to varying degrees. It wasn’t until the advent of selective herbicides that a lawn consisted of only grasses. Before that, any plant that lived under the mower blade was considered “lawn.” This diversity of species led to lawns which were more tolerant of adverse conditions.

How wonderful it is to have the warm weather return! But there are three annoying insect pests that often can make the summer less than enjoyable: fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. Happily, there are organic controls that can be applied by the landscaper or the do-it-yourselfer to help eradicate the problem.

It’s one of the worst possible itches, and most of the time, you don’t even know where or how you picked it up. Poison ivy, Rhus radicans, is a native plant that is usually less than welcome in the suburban yard or garden. While its fruits provide valuable food for birds, its oil, urushiol, secreted by its leaves, stems and roots causes an allergic reaction in many humans.

Adapted from a factsheet by the Organic Lanscape Alliance, Toronto, Canada http://www.organiclandscape.org/ (Used with permission.)

Lawn chemicals are unnecessary. Historically, organic lawn care has been practiced for much longer than chemical lawn care and it can easily be implemented on any lawn. Safe and effective alternatives exist for most chemical pesticides and fertilizers. There is no need to expose our families, communities and local wildlife to chemicals that are known or potential hazards.